i just can't get into this album, of all prince albums it is my least fav. maybe it will grow on me tho, like emancipation or TRC. but i just don't ever listen to it. it is weird tho, this was my fav prince live era/

mistatee said:

I bought the tape so it was no problem, on the cd yeah that problematic

johnart said:

I doubt that line 'sunk the ship' what's the big deal

I think it's the meaning of the song(the music is on point) but what does it mean? People could understand Alphabet St. but what is he talking about in Glam Slam. I love the video for it though

Most of the meanings behind the songs are too obscure at times: Prince fans may get it, thoughs who understand Erotic City & Paisley Park and everything in between,

people were too embarrassed to buy it cuz of the album cover. my boyfriend (now hub) was brave enough 2 get it & he smuggled it in his jacket at my house so my mum couldn't get a glimpse, like it was some nasty porno..it probably would have made her day, bless her

I wasn't alive at the time but I think the reason Lovesexy wasn't received well was because there was a lot of things to hate about it; the cover, the sequencing, some songs were very over the top, the "plot" didn't really make sense. To me it wasn't as commercial as his previous records. It's one of my favourite albums though, I love how wacky it is

possibly alot of men didnt want to buy it at the wrecka sto
cos of..you know, the cover

lottielooloo1968 said:

I remember buying it couple of years ago and it felt so good to put it on the counter
But I see why many found/find it embarrassing

It was the first Prince album to go to Number 1 in the UK

I think the lack of a strong second single really hurt the album. Also, wasn't Prince's promotion of the album a little lacking? Initially wasn't he wanting to do what he wanted Around The World In A Day to be? (no singles, no videos, just let the album stand on it's own as a singular statement) As many have pointed out the album cover and sequencing the cd as one track did not help either. Basically it was not an overtly commercial album and Prince's promotion of it was somewhat lacking.

here goes:

1 - WE NEEDED A BREAK by the end off SOTT. in early 88, the songs from SOTT were still going strong.. ICNTTPOYM was barely gone before alphabet st came along.. it was like 'oh christ, ANOTHER prince song?"

2 - in 1988, he needed to capitalize on the critical praise and commercial success (singles at least) of SOTT..
he was gaining real credibility as an artist with staying power,
the strength of SOTT helped people forget 'we are the world', 'the bad press of being a recluse' and 'utcm', ...
he needed to take a break on that note, let the success and buzz of SOTT settle for a bit and actually have people MISS him a little bit.

3 - the cover. NOBODY in Staten Island, NY (where i was) was going to buy that cover... i felt so mortified as a 13 year old going to the counter and buying it... it may seem tame now.. but in 1988, it was too much for people to take/understand... being GAY / ANDROGYNOUS was over by 1988,,, it was en vogue to butch it up and this cover just destroyed Prince's image (im serious, people were laughing at it in my school).

4 - too much GOD stuff. i mean seriously.

5 - the single track. jeez, could you piss off the few people that bought the cd anymore?

6 - singles werent strong. 'glam slam' doesnt mean anything to anyone and it had the word 'nipple' in it!.. 'i wish u heaven' is gorgeous but only stood a chance as a pop hit if he sung in his lower register... there is brilliant stuff on lovesexy, but not pop hit material..

now, the lovesexy is one of my favorites,, and i remember being devastated as a kid that it felt like prince's 'reign' was coming to an end (in the pop world, it kind of did).. but looking back, that concert was life altering.. i remember leaving there thinking that i needed to love myself a little more.. as a little kid, that was a big concept to take away..

i will always love prince for teaching me that..

1) The cover

2) Poorly promoted

3) Making the disc a single track

4) The Black Album mess

itsjustaroundthecorner said:

Great post...all the stuff about SOTTs was dead on (it). SOTTs still had a lot life in it....AND he should have taken the SOTTs tour to the States. Lovesexy came way too soon after and it was subpar in comparison.

Someone mentioned the Black Album mess for Lovesexy not doing well...but actually I think the Black Album was HELPING him at that point. It was Lovesexy that killed any buzz it was creating.

But in Europe...the tour was a total madness !!!! A frenzy ! A killer !

OldFriends4Sale said:

It's no big deal to you or I, but that's a lyric that had a lot of folk like WTF??
I don't mean that it was offensive. It was silly-sounding (especially to non die-hards).

The general public doesn't look at Prince's stuff with the same open mind and off-the-bat admiration that a lot of us here do.

I know the album cover would have raised a few eyebrows but why would people cover it up or sell it from behind the counter? It's hardly offensive, is it?

I think that we were looking for something that followed in the footsteps of Purple Rain. Plus the album cover did not help matters much either.

It was well-received by me - and mine is the only opinion I really care about.

I love this album, it was great. Not that keen on the cd cover but the music is very appealing.

blackielawlessrules said:

I don't remember folk finding it offensive.
I remember folk finding it funny as shit and lame. And a lot of dudes wouldn't be caught dead walkin round a Jersey mall with that cover.

I've always liked it, but that was the reaction around my neck of the woods.

I agree with Eric Leeds' assessment that the production is crappy and this hurts the album immensely. "Anna Stesia" is a stone cold classic though.

Because no one wanted to look at Prince's massive stamen.

JellyBean said:

I don't know about that, I was looking for the Black Album after sign of the Times

Lovesexy has a very rock oriented feel, so I think that filled my need for more guitar.

But I never heard that idea of following n the footsteps of PR, even after Parade I wanted another level of Parade, (Dream Factory was just that) but we only got touches of it thru SOTT

rialb said:

Yes, he didn't want to do videos (again) and the story of Alphabet St was so low budget, I always wondered why after videos like Girls & Boys Kiss Mountain, even U Got the Look did Alphabet St look like some kid on the street put it together

Poplife88 said:

Right, it was just too much change, People may not agree, but too much change too quickly killed it too, He could have rocked SOTT a bit longer

And the Black Album with a touch of the SOTT look would have solidified Prince's next Step, if he did the BLACK Album he might not have done 'the LOVESEXY' project, even though some song may have appeared as B sides or on the next album

Black Album would have given him his rude boy back, his underground culture back

the Black album was selling on the Black market like crazy
Interview Magazine even did a review that was 4-5 stars

Lovesexy is a great Album. I played the hell out of it when it came out. I thinkg everybody was expecting the Black Album and when Prince pulled it and replaced it with Lovesexy. I think some people were Like WTF? I remember when it came out my local store didnt have it out on the floor, they kept it hid behind the counter because of the cover. I remember laughing at them saying you got worse album covers in this store that should be behind the counter. people so Bloody funny back then.
[Edited 9/4/09 17:17pm]

kaine said:

I subscribe !

Could it be because there were no hits off of it? Alphabet St wasn't really creating a buzz... everything just needed a little bit more style and discipline thrown on the mix... but I guess that was the point of that album... quick and clashing and in your face with positivity.

lust said:

The album cover caused some controversy, but nothing that some killer singles couldn't overcome. It's not like people didn't realize Prince was controversial until Lovesexy came out.

The main problem with it's lack of mass appeal was that Lovesexy lacked strong singles for top 40 radio. After Alphabet street there was nothing else radio friendly for the masses to grab onto. It has some great songs for sure, Anna Stesia alone is one of the best things he's ever done, but it lacks great singles.

I feel it was his 80's "Rainbow Children" and I would put both albums into my top 5.Some folks are saying it was over produced but I reallly dont hear it..Diamonds and Pearls or the Symbol album are probably good examples of "over-produced" but Lovesexy is as close to perfection as he has ever came.

As for the cover lol Thats the Prince I miss he really didnt give a shit back then.
Also aside from the album sleeve and I Wish U Heaven, If i recall correctly,every other single from the album came in a transparent sleeve with just a sticker with the title on it.That was probaby the first time I thought Prince was a cheap bastard lol